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Poverty Bay Herald, Volume LIV, Issue 16838, 29 December 1928, Page 4

Tile recent heavy rain has apparently had no effect on the condition of the harbor entrance, as soundings taken yesrerday showed that there was 4ft. of water in the channel. The Gisborue City Band will continue carolling to-rnorrow morning, when one section will play at Muriwai, Patutahi, Mar.ntuke, and llakaraka, the remaining bandsmen visiting Te Karaka, Ormoud, and Kexton. On New Year's Eve tho band will render selections in Gladstone road.

The surveyors who were engaged in making the trial survey of the inland route of the proposed railway from Gisborne to Wairoa have completed their field work, and are nowengaged in preparing their plans and estimates. The field work was completed just before the Christmas holidays, and an early announcement of the route the railway will take will no doubt be possible.

Strawberries have; never been more plentiful in Auckland than now, and prices are at the lowest level they have reached for a number of years, owing to the excessive wet weather and the very large number of strawberries being offered. The values realised at Auckland city markets yesterday were only about 6d a chip. Tliese prices leave no margin of profit to the grower. Large quantities have been sent south, a record shipment of 700 crates being made by two expresses one evening this-week.—Special. Assistance is to be given to traffic that is at present making use of the main road between Itakauroa and , Matawai. The worst stretch is one of about a quarter of a mile, and in this a particularly bad hole is giving the most trouble. It was indicated this morning by the district Public Works engineer, Mr. 0. G. Thornton, that the worst spot would receive attention immediate by temporary work, which would enable cars to get through more easily.

The crew of the 20ft centreboard y.Mihf Winifred, which was taking part in the ocean race from Auckland to Russell, had a remarkable and exciting experience. Leaving Auckland on Saturday afternoon all went well until Sunday afternoon, when the rudder of tho boat was attacked by a shark. .So great was the impact that the rudder, in being forced upwards, was damaged, and temporary repairs were required. The yacht, which was then off Whangamumu, put in there, and when an examination was made the teeth marks of the shark w>uld very plainly be seen on the rudder.—Special.

While there is a further reduction in the number of men seeking employment through the Gisborne office of the Labor Department, an increase is noticed in the number of new applicants. This week there are 11 men seeking work through official channels, a reduction of one fin the figure announced last week, but there were seven new applications, as against only two last wck. Two men were found work during the week ending to-day, one on public, works, and one in private employment. Six of the men now on the books are married.

At present public works which were opened during the winter as relief works are practically at a standstill in,Poverty Bay, most of the men leaving tho jobs temporarily for the holiday period. Up till 'Christmas there were still 65 men employed on these works, 45 at Waioeka, 10 at'Te Wera, and 10 at Mangapoike. When these gangs were at full strength the number of men aggregated 100, but since the new season's farm and road work commenced there has been a gradual reduction. The woiks will be commencing again after the New Year, but it is not known jet how many men intend returning.

The diamond jubilee celebrations of St. James' Presbyterian Chutgh, Thames, were held last week. The first Presbyterian Church at Thames was built during the gold rush of 1868, when Mr. James McKee travelled from Auckland to conduct fortnightly services. The first few services were held in Butt's Theatre. The church was built as a result of tho efforts of Rev. James Hill, at the head of a committee. It was not lomx. however, before the adherents of the church built a large and handsomely finished structure in Pollen street, which is still in use. The. Rev. J. Milne has served at Thames continuously for the past. 22 years. The Gisborne Amateur Surf and Swimming Club will continue its series of popular evening carnivals at the High School baths on Thursday, January 10, when the following events will take place:—loo yards Poverty Bay men's championship (first distance Carroll Cup); 50 yards PoveTty Bay ladies' championship; Poverty Bay men's plain diving championship; 50 yards Poverty Bay boys' championship; 50 yards men's scratch race; 33 1-3 yards ladies' handicap (first distance, Gordon Cup); 50 yards men's handicap; novelty event; 33 1-3 yards boys' handicap; 100 yards relay handicap. The chief attraction of the evening will be the 100yds. Poverty Bay men's championship, at the conclusion of which event the final selection for the Swain Memorial Cup team will be made.

No less than six coastal vessels worked "Gisborne yesterday, four of which succeeded in berthing at the wharf, while the other two were lightered in the roadstead. The Awahou arrived from Napier in the morning with a quantity of southern cargo, and sailed again in the evening for Auckland. Drawing 6ft. Bin. she experienced no difficulty in negotiating the channel, while the Gunbar, which arrived from the same port at 8 a.m.. did likewise. Arrivals from the Hawke's Bay port later in the dav were the Kahika and Pttkeko, both of which anchored in the roadstead, while the Putiki arrived at 1 35 p.m. to take in 770 bales of wool for Napier. The latter vessel entered the channel with a draught of Bft, Late on Thursday evening the steamer Parera arrived from Lyttelton, via Waikokopu, with southern cargo, h'nd sailed again at 4.50 o'clock yesterday afternoon for Tokomarn Bay.

Heavy shipments of wool will be leaving' Gisborne and coastal ports for Napier during the week-end. The Gunbar left last night with 730 bales, while Hie Putiki is expected to get away to-morrow with 770 bales. In addition to this the Ivoutunui is due at Gisborne on Monday to take a further shipment while the Parera and the Koutunui are loading at Tokomaru Bay and Tolaga Bay during the weekend. Figures supplied this morning indicate the amount of Gisborne wool now available for next month's sale at Napier is 6982 bales, nearly all of which is expected to be in Napier before the New Year. Further wool for overseas will be taken by the Tamaroa when she loads at Gisborne next week, and space has been reserved for 3500 bales from this port. If she leaves with the anticipated amount, the total of the present season's Gisborne wool for the English shies will be approximately 14,770 bales.

An additional rehandicap for the Stratford races in the Tariki Handicap is Glenstar, 9.3.—P.A. A youth aged 18 will appear before the Police Court on January 4 on a charge of stealing £25 from Mangapapa station, Whatatutu. The lad was arrested by Detective McLeod yesterday. Through the. thoughtfulness and generosity ot the Auckland Rotary Club and the Commercial Travellers' and Warehousemen's "Association, 2100 poor and orphan children were given a Christmas treat.

Arrested at Waerenga-a-hika yesterday for helpless drunkenness, Hugh Cameron, 75, was remanded by Mr. H. M. Porter, J.P., in the Police Court this morning for a week for medical treatment.

A small boy, William Warren, son c-i Mrs. George Warren, of Ukoroire, Rotorua line, lost three toes oil one of his feet through an accident in the Waiomou School grounds. A companion, who was playing with an axe let it fall on the boy's foot. He was conveyed to the Waikato Hospital, when the toes were amputated.

A serious accident was narrowly averted when one of McGlashan's buses proceeding with a full load of passengers from Cobden to Greymouth, swerved suddenly to the right and jumped the footpath and kerbing near the bridge, coming to rest half-way through a fence. A few more feet and the bus would have plunged into the Grey River. None of the passengers was hurt, and the bus suffered little damage. • At the Te Karaka Sports Club's meeting on New Year's Day considerable interest will be taken in the running contest between Miss Norma Wilson and. Miss Stewart, of Wairoa. These, ladies,.between whom there, is keen rivalry, have entered for all the ladies' events, which include the 75 yards Povertj r Bay ladies' championship, j

A narrow escape from serious injury was experienced by a party proceeding by car from Bombay to Pukekohe. On the hill at Pukekohe East the car ran off the road. It careered down a bank several feet deep, but, fortunately struck a tree stump, which, though smashing a wheel, arrested the car right on the edge of a larger drop and prevented it from capsizing. The occupants escaped with a shaking. Mr. R. T. Stewart has been visitirig Okarito in connection with the Five Mile Beach gold dredging operations, reports a West Coast correspondent. Work is to commence in the new year, when the plant will be arriving and access along the beach route will be improved for transport. The road round the bluff will be improved and two bridges require erection. Mr. Stewart returns to Christchurch on Monday, en route for Dunedin. '

A pleasant surprise awaited a holiday traveller from Taumarunui, who on his arrival in Auckland was handed a wallet containing £4O which he had lost in the train, and thought to be gone for good. The visitor, who went to Auckland on one of the expresses, boarded the train at Taumarunui. During part of the journey he fell asleep and, awaking, discovered his wallet to be missing. He informed 'the police and later on Monday the wallet was restored to him, a woman having found it in tho carriage and handed it to the police. Mr. Thomas McGhie, mining manager of the Westport-Stockton Coal Mining Company, feels that there is a great future in store for rope aerial transport of h coal in New Zealand. It would be quite, * practicable, he states, to take the output > from Stockton and Millerton mines a«o others in the vicinity and transport it to the boats at Wesport by aerial. There would be nothing stupendous or impossible in this undertaking, as m Germany and other parts of the world visited by Mr. McGhie aerials are operating over distances up to 45 miles as the crow flies, and handling 5000 to 6000 tons a day. Mr. Zane Grey is very pleased with his first day's fishing at Mercury Bay. He considers Mercury Island the prettiest camp he has visited. Mr. Zane Grey, who was on the launch Alma G.; secured a fine mako shark which weighed 2751 b. Captain Mitchell, fishing from the launch Avalone on his first day.oat, caught two mako weighing 3601 b. ana 2501 b. respectively. On the second day Mr. Grey secured two fine mako weighing 4001 b. and 5801 b., respectively. Mr. A. D. Campbell, the veteran London fisherman, who arrived on Saturday, went out to try his luck in the launch Dauntless. The party saw a fine swordfish, but could not hook it. \

The reliability of evidence given by defendants who are charged with being in charge of motor vehicles while in a state of intoxication was questioned by Mr. J. H. Salmon, S.M., in the Magistrate's Court at Wellington, reports the Dominion. "I have comb to the conclusion in this class of case," said Mr. Salmon, "that the evidence of defendants as to the number of drinks they havo had is thoroughly unreliable. The defendant is deposing to something that he knows the prosecution cannot contradict, and he takes full advantage of it. The only reliable the Court has of his condition is that giyen by reliable witnesses." Tolaga Bay fishermen are laughing over the latest fish story. A party threw out their lines from the end of the wharf, and it was not long before one o! the fishermen got a "bite," but, pull though he did with all his power, he could not get his catch above water. By hard tugging at the line he could bring it a certain distance, but the fish would plunge once more to the bottom. It was announced that there was a stingray on the line, and that it was clinging to the sea bed, and so defying all attempts to bring it to the surface. After holding on to the line for about an hour and a-half, it was possible by steady hard pulling at the line to pull the big fish to the surface, and the catch proved to be a cement sack, that had apparently been caught in the sea weed or rocks below the water. The discovery was a great surprise to the party, particularly to the one who first felt the "bite," which, he was certain, was that of a stingray.

Holiday railway traffic in Auckland has broken all previous records this Christmas, and the slack day experienced yesterday came as a welcome lull to the railway station staff after a busy week. Thousands of travellers have passed through the station within a few days and the peak was reached on Saturday, which is regarded as the busiest day ever experienced. Main Trunk trains have borne the bulk of the traffic (reports the Herald) A total of 12,480 passengers arrived by these expresses during the week ended Christmas Eve, whereas the total arrivals by expresses from various of the North Island during the same period toas about 23,350. Departures by all expresses totalled about 16,360 and of these 7640 travelled by Main Trunk trains. A total of 29 expresses arrived from Wellington during the week, a daily average of about four, while expresses for Wellington numbered 25. One express arrived with 1000 passengers, several others carrying between 500 and 800. Expresses from Rotorua brought a total of 2700 persons durine the week, while 2370 arrived from the North and 1570 from Tauranga and the Thames. Departures for Rotorua totalled 3160, for East Coast stations 2430, and for the North 3130.